Nation marks 65th death anniversary of Liaquat Ali Khan

ISLAMABAD: The 65th death anniversary of Shaheed-i-Millat Khan Liaquat Ali Khan, the first prime minister of Pakistan, is being observed on Sunday (today), October 16.

People from various walks of life have been paying homage to Shaheed Liaquat Ali Khan for his immense services for the cause of Pakistan Movement.

Born and hail from Karnal‚ East Punjab‚ Khan Ali Khan was educated at the Aligarh Muslim University in India‚ and then the Oxford University in the United Kingdom. Well educated‚ he was an Islamic democracy political theorist who promoted the parliamentarianism in India.

A barrister by profession like his leader Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Liaquat Ali Khan entered politics in 1923, being elected first to the provincial legislature of the United Provinces and then to the central legislative assembly.

After being invited by the Congress Party‚ he opted for the Muslim League led by the influential Mohammad Ali Jinnah who was advocating and determining to eradicate the injustices and ill treatment meted out to the Indian Muslims by the British government.

Having joined the Muslim League, he soon became a close associate of Jinnah, the Founder of Pakistan. Khan assisted Muhammad Ali Jinnah in campaigning for the creation of a separate state for Indian Muslims.

By degrees, he won first the respect and then the admiration of the Muslim community for his share in the struggle for Pakistan. When Jinnah became the first governor general after independence in 1947, Liaquat Ali Khan was the obvious choice as prime minister. In this post his achievements were outstanding.

If Jinnah founded Pakistan, Khan established it laying down the main lines of policy: domestic and foreign that guided the country afterward.

Khan held the office of Prime Minister for four years - from 1947 until his assassination in 1951 in Rawalpindi. He was assassinated on 16 October 1951‚ during a public meeting of the Muslim City League at Company Bagh (later named Liaquat Bagh after him) in Rawalpindi.

After Jinnah's death, Liaquat Ali Khan was acclaimed as Quaid-i-Millat (leader of the country). Upon his death‚ he was given the title of "Shaheed-e-Millat"‚ or "Martyr of the Nation".

He is buried at Mazar-e-Quaid compound in Karachi, however, the mystery of his assassination remains unsolved to the date.